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The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) highly-publicized “Yɛn Suro Ahunahuna” demonstration, held on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, in Accra, has sparked controversy after reports and social media video footage emerged, showing party supporters openly smoking cannabis in the streets of Accra, prior to the march.
The protest, organised by the opposition party’s youth wing, saw hundreds of supporters march from various parts of the capital to the Police Headquarters and the Jubilee House to present a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP)/National Security and the Office of the President.
But the sight of them publicly smoking cannabis, known locally as “Wee” and hysterically dancing in the full glare of the police, that early morning at the Obra Spot – Kwame Nkrumah Circle, was an eyesore, which shocked many.
Demonstrators accused state institutions under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of intimidation, political harassment, and injustice against NPP members.
However, what was intended to be a show of strength by the NPP’s youth has now been overshadowed by claims that “wee smokers” were mobilized and, in some cases, paid to boost numbers at the rally.
Viral videos widely circulated online show several visibly intoxicated individuals openly admitting their involvement.
One participant, when interviewed, casually admitted, “I smoke a little and sometimes get arrested for it, but that’s how I make money to feed my children.”
Such comments have fueled widespread ridicule on social media, with many Ghanaians questioning whether the NPP’s youth wing is now openly courting drug users as political foot soldiers.
The incident has sparked outrage and raised troubling questions about the future of the NPP’s youth structures.
Social media commentators warned that embracing wee smokers and presenting them as the face of party activism risks normalizing drug culture within the party and eroding the moral fabric of its young membership.
“This is not just about a protest gone wrong, it’s a symptom of deeper rot,” one political commentator said.
“If the NPP youth continues down this path, they will not only destroy their credibility but also drag the next generation of party leadership into a pit of lawlessness and narcotics abuse.”
Again, social media commentators argued that Tuesday’s protest had handed the NDC political ammunition while leaving the NPP youth wing scrambling to defend itself.
Far from intimidating their opponents, the images of high-on-cannabis demonstrators may haunt the party in the long run, painting it as undisciplined and directionless.
The NPP leadership has remained silent on the “wee smoking demonstration”, but the damage to the youth wing’s reputation is already glaring and, for many, irreparable.
The demonstration was triggered by the arrest and detention of Kwame Baffoe, known as Abronye DC, the NPP’s Bono Regional Chairman, for insulting the IGP, Christian Tetteh Yohuno.
He was first arrested on September 8, charged with offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace and publication of false news. A court remanded him in custody for one week, but he was subsequently granted bail before the one week expired.
The protest also responds to scenes of alleged harassment of other party members, including regional leaders such as Chairman Wontumi (Bernard Antwi-Boasiako) and some social media activists affiliated with the party.
Salam Mustapha has been vocal, describing what he calls “selective justice” and “state-sponsored thuggery” targeting the NPP’s members. In his update, he emphasised that the demonstration is a show of resolve and that the youth will not be intimidated.
The NPP is demanding that the police cease what they say is politically motivated harassment through arrests, remands, and investigations largely perceived to target opposition figures.
There is also concern over bail denials and perceived double standards by law enforcement regarding opposition party members who allege abuse of power, unfairness, and the role of law enforcement in democratic governance.
Former Minister of Health, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, backed the NPP youth wing’s protest, claiming that freedom of speech, the cornerstone of Ghana’s democracy, is currently under threat.
Speaking at the protest grounds, Dr Okoe Boye argued that democracy thrives on tolerance of divergent views, even when expressed bluntly or crudely, and warned that arresting people for their opinions sets a dangerous precedent.
“Immediately, somebody can be arrested and handcuffed for talking in a way that, in another person’s judgment, is not proper; it means all of us are in danger,” he cautioned.
“By virtue of my level of education, training, and personal values, there is a way I will put a point across which might look to you very proper. But you have others who also want to make a point, but might not have the training and intellect to do so. They will speak in a blunt manner, sometimes in an insulting manner, but the beauty of democracy is that all such people are tolerated in society,’ he explained.
Dr Okoe Boye argued that silencing dissent through the fear of arrest could stifle Ghana’s innovation and dynamism.
“All democracies or societies that were successful in the past lost their success because of the culture of silence. When people stop speaking, the society is no more dynamic, and we will lose our innovativeness and drive,” he indicated.
He noted that the protest had two main aims: to defend free speech and to resist what he described as unprofessional conduct by the police, citing instances where NPP activists, including Abronye DC and Sir Obama, were arrested under what he called intimidating circumstances.
“Why do you go to Sir Obama, an NPP activist, at 4 am, break through his door, and enter his room, not because he has harmed somebody but because he posted a picture on Facebook? I mean, these are dangerous precedents,” he noted.
Security personnel were heavily deployed along the protest route to ensure peace and order, as demonstrators carried placards and chanted slogans demanding justice and fairness for NPP sympathizers.
The party vowed to continue pushing back against what it calls “state-sponsored intimidation,” urging civil society and international partners to take note of the developments with the party’s National Youth Organiser, Salam Mustapha, warning that the current police leadership risked damaging the integrity of the service if the trend continues.
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